Hartford Council Approves Purchase Of 'Butt Ugly' Building

1161 Main Street, or the "Butt-Ugly Building," shown in May… (MICHAEL MCANDREWS, HARTFORD…)

August 10, 2010|By JENNA CARLESSO, jcarlesso@courant.com

HARTFORD — — The city has taken the final step toward purchasing the property at 1161 Main St. — known as the "Butt Ugly Building" — and tearing the structure down.

The city council on Monday voted in favor of allowing the Hartford Redevelopment Agency to buy the land and its decrepit building for $625,000. City leaders plan to knock down the five-story structure in late September. The cost of the property and demolition of the building — an additional $300,000 to $500,000 — will be covered by city bond money.

The council's vote was the final hurdle in the city's acquisition of the property. David Panagore, the city's chief operating officer, said finalizing the paperwork and transfer of the title could take one to two more weeks.

The building has been inspected and a deposit was already put down, he said.

The demolition process, which involves cleaning out the building and preparing it to be torn down, is set to begin early next month. The demolition method will be by a mechanical claw, city spokeswoman Sarah Barr said. City leaders have not named an exact date for when the building will be knocked down.

"The goal is to have the sight cleared by the end of the year," Barr said.

No specific plans for how the property would be used have been announced. Panagore said the demolition is part of a larger redevelopment plan for Hartford's downtown.

City Councilman Kenneth Kennedy said Monday that council members determined it would cost $400,000 to $500,000 more to acquire the property through eminent domain.

"It clearly came out that if we took it by eminent domain, it would cost us more. We're saving ourselves a few hundred thousand dollars," he said.

Mayor Pedro Segarra said recently that the city is looking to target other blighted buildings, though he declined to specify which buildings.